Just Home from Surgery

Hi All,

  Well.. I just got released from the hospital.. I had my first bowel resection..comepletely unexpected..went to ER with unreal pain.. 2 days later I was in surgery.. Had part of my Ileum and 2 feet of large bowel removed...couldnt do it lapascopically due to so much inflammed bowel... what I want to know know is...what to expect during recovery.. I am on pain meds but still hurt quite a bit getting up and down out of bed...this is my first surgery or even time spent in a hospital..so any tips or help anyone has for a good recovery and eating.. I would love to hear from you..this has been so sudden and expected I havent had time to even let it all sink in.

Thanks Mimi

I have had two open resections myself. My first one was an emergency just like yours. It can be quite traumatic as I did not expect that much pain. First tip is to place a pillow over your stomach whenever you get up. Another is to try to walk a little everyday, increasing your distance every so often. It is going to hurt for awhile. Remember they were in there pulling out your intestines, cutting on them and this is major surgery. You will have some explosive D until your bowels adjust to the changes. Make sure you stay on top of your pain, in other words don't wait till it gets bad to take your meds or it will take longer to get back under control

As for diet I tried to stay on a softer, easier to digest diet for awhile. I ate alot of mashed potatos, baked chicken, and things like that. And most importantly make sure you get back onto maintenance meds. My now fired GI at the time told me I no longer needed meds since I had surgery, and then I ended up having another surgery only 3 years later. Good luck and I hope the surgery leads to a long long remission.

Hugs
Gail*Nanners*

thanks so much for your replys...you guys have no idea how much it helps hearing from those who have been through it...this was all so sudden an unexpected for me..I didnt have a chance to let it all sink in...I try to get up as much as I can... uhgg can that hurt...it will be nice when getting out of bed isnt a fear...but once I am up I walk around as much as I can and the pain eases...I am eating soft foods...a little mac & cheese.. soups.. a few crackers..scrambled eggs and drinking boost for now...things are getting a little more solid now and that scares me too...dont want to push..uhggg... soon I get my staples out...scared of that too!...I guess I just have to learn to be patient and let my body heal.. its hard for me to let others do things for me...

Thanks for all your well wishes...it means so much..